‘Fixer Upper’ Star Chip Gaines’ Real Name Might Not Be What You Expect

The Fixer Upper family is in a year of transition, to say the least. One of Joanna Gaines and Chip Gaines‘ TV shows is winding down, one is starting up, and they’re expecting their fifth child. (It’s like they’re renovating their lives!) To mark this pivotal year, we’re focusing on one half of this power couple, rounding up the trivia you should know about Chip and his first 43 years on this planet… including the scoop on his full name!

What is Chip Gaines’ real name?

He’s a Chip off the old block! In 2016, responding to a fan question on Twitter, the HGTV star revealed “Chip” actually isn’t a nickname. “God-given name: Chip Carter Gaines,” he tweeted. So, there you go!

What is Chip Gaines’ birthday?

Chip is 43 years young… and a Scorpio! His birthday is Nov. 14, 1974. By the way, fellow Nov. 14 babies include Prince Charles, Josh Duhamel, Travis Barker, and Condoleezza Rice.

Where is Chip Gaines from?

Chip is originally from Albuquerque, NM, but when he was in third grade, his parents moved his family — which also includes older sister Shannon — to Colleyville, TX, a suburb of Fort Worth. They owned a flooring business in nearby Lewisville, where Chip honed his carpentry skills. And the future TV star also earned money mowing lawns before graduating from Grapevine High School in 1993.

Where did Chip Gaines go to college?

With aspirations of baseball stardom, Chip played for a year for North Lake College in Irving, TX, and then transferred to Baylor College in Waco, TX. But he didn’t make the Baylor baseball team, according to The Dallas Morning News. “It was devastating. We were just all heartbroken,” his mother Gayle Gaines told the newspaper. “I thought we were raising the next great superstar baseball player,” his father Bob Gaines added. “Instead, I raised the next great father, husband, and businessman, and now he’s famous.”

A post shared by Chip Gaines (@chipgaines) on May 26, 2017 at 7:24pm PDT

Have Chip and Joanna Gaines ever split up?

As far as we know, this famous couple has been together ever since they met shortly after they both graduated from Baylor. As Chip revealed in his memoir, however, their relationship was once something of a Fixer Upper. When he was in his mid-20s, Chip went to Mexico for a three-month Spanish immersion program so he could better communicate with his employees. Joanna supported him… until two weeks into his vacation, when she realized he’d left her with a business in financial distress. That’s when Joanna laid down an ultimatum, per Today. “You have three days to get back to Texas or this relationship is over,” she told him.

What is Chip Gaines’ net worth?

At the moment, Chip’s net worth is around $9 million, as is Joanna’s, according to Celebrity Net Worth. That nest egg might take a hit now that Fixer Upper ended on April 3. But Joanna already has another HGTV project lined up, a spin-off show titled Fixer Upper: Behind the Design, which premieres on April 10. Plus, the couple has their booming Magnolia business in Waco, including one very sweet bakery.